Slow Cooker Korean Beef (Printable View)

Tender beef in Korean-inspired sauce with garlic, ginger, and gochujang. Perfect over rice.

# What You Need:

→ Beef

01 - 2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces

→ Sauce

02 - 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
04 - 1/4 cup sesame oil
05 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
07 - 1/4 cup rice vinegar
08 - 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili paste)
09 - 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, plus extra for garnish
10 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Vegetables & Garnish

11 - 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
12 - 4 green onions, sliced
13 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional, for thickening)
14 - 2 tablespoons water (optional, for thickening)

# How To Make It:

01 - Arrange beef pieces and sliced onion in the slow cooker insert.
02 - Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, gochujang, sesame seeds, and black pepper in a bowl until well combined.
03 - Pour the sauce over the beef and onions, tossing gently to ensure even coating.
04 - Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours or high setting for 4 hours, until beef is very tender and shreds easily.
05 - For a thicker consistency, mix cornstarch with water to create a slurry. Stir into the slow cooker during the final 30 minutes of cooking.
06 - Remove beef from the slow cooker and shred using two forks. Return shredded beef to the cooker and toss with the sauce.
07 - Sprinkle with sliced green onions and additional toasted sesame seeds. Serve over steamed rice or in lettuce wraps.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce develops this incredible depth that tastes like you spent hours at the stove but actually requires zero active cooking time
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day as the beef continues soaking up all those savory flavors
02 -
  • Resist the urge to lift the lid too often during cooking because every time you do, you add another 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time
  • The sauce will look quite thin when you first pour it in but it reduces beautifully as the beef releases its own juices
03 -
  • Cut your beef into uniformly sized pieces so everything cooks at the same rate and no pieces end up tough or dry
  • Toast extra sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes before garnishing to bring out their nutty flavor

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